Holiday Charm

We're loving this new digi kit from NitWit Collections!

The new Holiday Charm collection brings you a selection of the usual high standard digital downloads and printable papercraft supplies, with a range of cute and cuddly wintry bears, papers, accessories and embellishments ideal for scrapping your seasonal photos.


Since the weather has turned and the temperatures have started to drop, this is a great collection to get your hands on for all your winter creations! Head to www.nitwitcollections.com to get yours!

Cosy Christmas issue

Hi all,

Just time to take a quick breather as the Christmas rush has well and truly started, with deadlines coming forward and the countdown well and truly underway!

We've just said farewell to issue 60 os Scrapbook Magazine which has gone off to be printed today. This one's out in the shops 15th December so be sure to get your hands on it for for festive inspiration once the big event has passed.

Issue 60 is packed full of Christmas and winter inspiration with festive memories scrapping, using a Scandinavian style on our pages and ideas on how to make your own themed embellishments for seasonal pages. We've also got a fun Papermania Festive Frolics paper pack on this issue, complete with embellishments, so make sure you get yours!

We're just starting to take a look at the next issue as this one's gone now, in the hopes that there won't be quite such a rush when we get back to it after Christmas. Fingers-crossed we can get the majority done before we finish for 2011!

Linds xx

Christmas cards

Ok, so this has to be by far the longest I've ever left it without having even thought what I'm making Christmas card wise this year.

I've pondered starting to think about it, so figure that if I post here about needing to do it then this will stop me simply considering it and motivate me to get up those stairs, open my Christmas stash box and get cracking.

Here goes...peeling my bum off the seat as we speak....here I go...I'm going...

Ok enough. Time to prep!

xx

BasicGrey blog freebies!

Attention all BasicGrey fans and bloggers!

BasicGrey have just announced that they're offering FREE digital blog backgrounds and headers, so head on over to the site now to get your hands on these goodies.

There's a lovely selection available so you could even download them all and chop and change regularly!

xx

We R looking forward to this one

We're just putting the finishing touches to issue 59 which heads off to the printers today and can't wait to see what you think of the amazing We R Memory Keepers Peppermint Twist paper pack with this issue. We've brought you a selection of festive papers and embellishments from this Christmas collection which gives you some great goodies for scrapping those festive snaps.

Issue 59 hits the shops 3rd November so be sure to get your copy!

Happy scrapping!
xx

Issue 58 is on its way!

That's right! We just waved goodbye to issue 58 as it went merrily on its way through the ether and to the printers for production!

This one's packed full of yet more inspiring ideas, plus a few must-try techniques and ideas to give you a head start on your Christmas creations so don't miss it! Keep your eyes peeled from the 22nd September to get your copy!

xx

Bring on the weekend!

Well here it is. The last bank holiday weekend of the year for the UK and what is it doing? Raining of course! I don't know why I'm surprised at all because this is normally what happens on this particular weekend of the year!

Plans include meeting mum and dad for a coffee in town tomorrow morning, meeting up with some old school friends for lunch on sunday (one of which is over from Australia for a week), and having lunch with granny on Monday. This coupled with the craft projects I have and all-in-all it's set to be another busy weekend!

xx

Late night scrapping

Evening all,

As I'm sure some of you have also done in the past, tonight sees me scrapping into the wee hours finishing off some last-minute bits and bobs for issue 58.

I've just finished the New Papers layouts using a fabulous BoBunny collection and am currently part-way through creating the layouts using the free Serif paper pack you'll get when you pick up your copy.

We're all done and dusted then for the prep, scrapping and editing on issue 58 - just a case of getting everything else wrapped up before it prints in a fortnight, then on to issue 59!

Sleep well!

xx

Sneak peek

Here's a sneak peak at what I've been working on this morning for Simply Homemade issue 9. Really fun off the page project and a beautiful home decor addition.


Some great brands involved with this one including Kaisercraft and BasicGrey so keep your eyes peeled for it!

Linds xx

Free read

Just a quickie for those of you who haven't seen a copy of Scrapbook Magazine, or anyone who missed issue 54, you can see the issue as a digital and free version here.


Take a look and enjoy!

xx

The chickens have landed

As promised, here are some piccies of my sister's new hens. In the end she opted to go for names which were methods of cooking chicken/styles as opposed to chicken-style celebrity names, so without further ado here are Roast, Nugget and Pie.


Much of the afternoon was spent preparing the enclosure around the coop, so as of tomorrow lunchtime the whole enclosure should be fenced and wired ready for them to browse.

Belated summer snaps

On a side note, and as I'm sat at my PC, it occurs to me that I've neglected to upload any of the amazing photos I took this summer in Sweden. I spent another two fabulous weeks in Göteborg with my partner Peter and his family (flawless weather and I really do recommend it), which included two nights at their holiday cottage in Töreboda.

Töreboda is where I took this amazing photo on the first evening when we went out with Peter's mum Birgitta to hunt for cantrell mushrooms!


Still no moose sightings yet (apart from those at Slottskogen Park), so it's looking like we'll have to go north at some point!

xx

Time to plan

As per usual I'm waking up early on a weekend. Seems I've now reached the stage where I've completely lost the ability to have a lie-in - soon I'll be falling asleep on the sofa mid-evening and waking up at 5 like mum!

On the subject of parents, I got home from work yesterday to find them both sat in my dad's car waiting for me to get back, as they had a shiny new microwave in the boot for me! Seems they'd decided to treat me to a little one since I'd mentioned getting one, so I celebrated by a 2 minute job and some Uncle Ben's egg fried rice!

Still a lot to get done today. Little Sweep is at the vets at 10:10am for her yearly booster injection, which is always a bit of a trauma, plus a look in her ears as she's started to sound a little like a maraca!


It started out looking like it was going to be a sunny day here, but glancing out of the window and seeing that it's greyed over I somehow think that the bit of clearing I have to do in the garden will need to be put on a backburner.

On call waiting for Emma to let me know when the hens arrive, so I'll spend the time when I get back from the vets finishing up on the Simply Cards & Papercraft article I have to do then get cracking on the Scrapbook Magazine issue 58 new papers layouts.

xx

There's chucks afoot!

One thing I'm looking forward to this weekend is helping my sister set up her chicken coop and getting her new birds all settled in. She's been pondering this for a while and finally decided to go for it when someone she works with was looking to rehome their little 'flock'.

Apparently the chickens have no names so we've taken great delight in coming up with some hen-themed celebrity names for them, which Emma will dish out to the chickens once they're 'installed'. My personal favourites include Yolk-O Ono, Margaret Hatcher and Hennifer Lopez (groan-worthy I know!).

Piccies of the chucks to follow!

Small as it may seem, I'm also ridiculously excited about the fact I'm getting a microwave tomorrow. It seems to have been one of those things I've kept meaning to get for the past 2 years (!), but never quite got round to putting one in my trolley at Tesco! Quick baked potatoes here we come!

Lots of crafting to do this weekend as well, with jewellery to make for Creative Beads & Jewellery, the new papers layouts to create for Scrapbook Magazine issue 58, a festive feature for Simply Cards & Papercraft, stamping and ProMarker pen colouring for Papercraft Essentials, off the oage project for Simply Homemade - let's just say hands full!

xx

A moment to breathe

Well it's been all go here since I last posted (I can't believe it was March!!!).

I've been non-stop with research for Scrapbook Magazine, new products flying out of the doors at the CHA trade show, floods of deliveries of the latest goodies ready for feature in the mag, plus I've managed to shoe horn in a trip to The Makery for a class and visit The Festival of Quilts! Time to get my feet up and have a brew, after a mammoth catch-up post!

I had a great time at The Makery in Bath at the beginning of the month. Me and Simply Homemade editor Diane Grimshaw headed down to Bath for a Learn to Sew workshop and we had a whale of a time. I've tried my hand at machine sewing before and it's always been a complete disaster, so to come out of there with a 100% professional-looking bag was astounding! Thanks to the girls at The Makery for taking on two beginners and showing us the ropes!

Me and Diane also headed down to Birmingham last weekend for The Festival of Quilts. We had a great day browsing all the amazing designs on show and checking out all the beautiful fabrics, sewing, quilting and craft essentials on show (I think we got a bit carried away following our workshop at The Makery as the card came out a few times as well!). It was nice to finally get to meet Vivienne from Rainbow Disks and Katie from Japan Crafts after dealing with them for so many years! Great to see the new releases and plans for upcoming products!

Issue 57 just went on sale last week and issue 58 is already well on its' way, plus I'm sat here planning our winter and Christmas issues to make sure you get a great mix of techniques, styles and themes to keep you inspired in those dark winter nights and over the festive season. Yes, I know it's only August, but here in magazine land we've been working on our Christmas issues of the card making magazines since May!

Lots of lovely goodies on the cards with loads of inspiration coming your way in issue 58, so keep your eyes peeled for this one from the 22nd September.

Happy scrapping!

Linds x

Hobbycraft here we come!

If anyone's heading down to the Hobbycraft show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend, be sure to come over to the Practical Publishing stand and say hello!

Fingers-crossed I get a chance to have a good look at all the scrummy goodies for sale this time round, as it was far to busy to leave the stand at the show last November!

Linds

Mini alpha obsession

Does anyone else have an obsession at the moment with mini alphabet stickers? I just can't get enough of them!

Love, love, love the Adornit, Jenni Bowlin and My Little Shoebox varieties. There's a fab selection available from www.skrapz.co.uk and I'm heading over there right now to top up my supplies!

Cheers
Linds

Weekend plans

I have them coming out of my ears! Anyone think it's a good idea to make a list when you have a lot to do? Somehow I never quite get round to writing it down, but luckily everything seems to enjoy floating around in my head so I never forget!

On the agenda: housework of course, jewellery to make, cards to make, scrapbook layouts to create.

About 13 projects in all to set my crafty mind to, so a very busy one ahead!

xx

Happy New Year (belated of course!)

Happy New Year scrappers! It's a tad belated, but things have been so busy that I'm just getting round to posting here again!

We wave farewell to the fab issue 53 of Scrapbook Magazine tomorrow as it goes to be printed, which comes free with a fab set of papers and embellishments courtesy of Serif, ideal for that spring scrapping. There's a whole host of the usual inspiration and new ideas with Make Your Own, Inspired by and our style guide continuing. We go off the page for some lovely storage drawers to help you personalise your scrapping space and bring a great selection of designer tips and more to get you creating.

Our reader galleries are fast filling up, so as a heads-up I'm looking for layouts to suit the themes of dancing and pride. Let me know if you have any pages you'd like included by emailing me at lindsey.hopkins@practicalpublishing.co.uk.

Cheers
Linds